Looking for Canadian History Readers for 5th Grade and Up

Community Question is a category inspired by you. Here and there readers write in with questions that are better served by the varied, experiential knowledge of those who read and contribute in the comments.

The following question is from Willemijn M.

“I love this question! I need to read all these books myself! Could you ask the same question again some time but then with Canadian History and World History? Thanks!”

I figured we could tackle Candian History with this post and then cover World History with next week’s Community Question. So, if you have recommendations for Canadian History Readers for children in 5th grade and up (10+), please list them in the comments below.

Please help us compile a list of Canadian History Readers for middle school and up. THANKS!

Heather Sanders

Hi. I’m Heather, a freelance writer living in Huntsville, a smallish town on the tail-end of the East Texas Pineywoods.
Twenty years ago, I married Jeff, the love of my life, and shortly after, we chose to “go forth and multiply.” We have three kids: Emelie, Meredith and Kenny. We homeschool. It's what we do, and it works for us.
Tired of feeling overwhelmed, we recently "faithsized" our family into a 960 square foot lake cabin in need of renovation. I write at HeatherSanders.com about faith and simplifying your desires so you can be content right here and right now

Share:

Share this post:

Comment:Post a comment:

Comments

Jo

Not sure about books, but we like a little series of DVDs called Colonial Life for Kids. One of the DVDs is on the French settlements and colonial Quebec.

Laura

My first thought was the Dear Canada series, but they’re probably a little young for the age group you’re targeting. They’re a wonderful resource though – they cover just about all of the significant periods of Canadian History. The main characters are all female, though there is a parallel series for boys (although I don’t think there are as many titles.)

Eric Walters’ books would likely fit your needs for older students. He’s written historical fiction about a number of moments in Canadian history, including the War of 1812, Hurricane Hazel, World War II, the discovery of insulin, etc. Some of his newer books focus on more modern global events (Rwanda, Sept 11, Afghanistan) and would also be good social studies resources.

I hope this helps! History is taught under the title of Social Studies here in Canada.

http://www.seewhatiseadesigns.com engquist

While this isn’t entirely helpful, I would tap into CBC, the Canadian broadcasting company. I grew up in Detroit and watched this channel all the time. They would regularly air snippets of regional history (Ontario) and may be a good source for educational materials.

And if that doesn’t work, just read all of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s books. Not entirely educational but so very good for the soul. Good luck!

Bronwyn

Probably not exactly what you’re looking for, but if you want a more personal account of a specific historical event (such as the Loyalist settlements, or the great depression, the Halifax explosion, or the Titanic) the Dear Canada novels are all phenomenal historical fiction which gives you a great inside view on things from a 10-14 years old girls perspective, and they’re all written by famous Canadian writers. A great add on to specific events your child is interested in maybe?
And they are geared more towards girls, but they’re great books, and fun to read.
As a history student (who’s taking a break) these books really made me excited about what was going on in Canada, as opposed to all the dry Canadian History classes I took in highschool.

laurah

Not sure where you live but if ever in the Thunder Bay area of Canada, you must visit Fort William. First-hand Canadian history.

Dharma

This online directory has amazing amounts of online links to real teaching materials/ sites and presentations by subject matter and timeline in Canadian history. It is geared to Grade 5 and up. Thanks for including us Canucks in your history lessons, we have a rich and varied story to tell as well.

Monica Hughes has two great books – “Treasure of the Long Sault” about the war of 1812 and “Gold Fever Trail” about the Dawson City gold rush of 1898. Kit Pearson has a great trilogy about WWII evacuees who left their family in England to stay with a family in Toronto during the war – “The Sky is Falling,” “Looking at the Moon,” and “The Lights Go On Again.” Janet Lunn also writes great historical fiction…I’m sure I know more but can’t think of them offhand!

Gayle

Here is a website you can check out to find Canadian history books of all kinds, from historical fiction to chronological history for kids: http://www.canadianhomeeducation.com. Hope that helps!

Blizzard of Glass by Sally M. Walker is a great nonfiction account of the Halifax Explosion of 1917.

http://nurturedbylove.blogspot.com Miranda

I would especially recommend historical fiction by Janet Lunn, Pierre Berton’s topic-specific readers for middle schoolers and the Dear Canada series. We use “The Story of Canada” by Lunn and Moore and “The Spirit of Canada” by Hehner as spines for our kids at the Grade 5/6/7 level. Another fabulous resource is the “Canada: A People’s History” DVD series originally aired on CBC, available at any library. I’d also like to add an enthusiastic plug for Mike Ford’s two music albums, “Canada Needs You” Vol. 1 and 2, available on iTunes and elsewhere. They’re great music in a fabulous range of styles, inspired by Canadian history, events and characters. I thought the premise was a bit lame before I heard them: the songwriting and production are fabulous, and it doesn’t feel like a contrived “learning opportunity” at all. They’re funny, and poignant, and hummable, and they really stoked my kids’ and my own interest and knowledge.

Carmina

“The Kids Book of Canadian History” by Carlotta Hacker is an excellent Canadian history reader. She is my mother’s friend and neighbour. This book provides an excellent overview of Canadian history for elementary school kids and the illustrations are fabulous. Highly recommended.

http://www.being-more.ca Karina

Hey! Yay for Canadian history – although it is a lot harder to find resources! Donna Ward (www.donnaward.net) has some excellent historical fiction etc. recommendations on her site. We have found her actual workbooks/textbooks to be a little dry, but they do provide a good framework for chronology and other book recommendations. There are also some good reference books on Canadian History that would be about a grade 5-6 level by Livesey & Smith…think those are also recommended on the DW site. There also is a website: http://www.TheCanadianEncylopedia.com that is a great starting point for researching people and events. Happy Learning!

This is a fabulous book: “The Story of Canada” by Janet Lunn and Christopher Moore — its 315 pages of awesomeness! ISBN is 1-55263-150-8 I have all my kids read through this book at some point in their home schooling days.

AngAK

one of my all time favorite books.

Annie

I’m not sure if this counts because it’s by an author from the United States, but it’s such a fantastic book I have to share it. Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis is the story of Elijah, the first free child born into a community of runaway slaves in Canada. This book is equal parts hilarious and gut-wrenching. It’s based on the actual town of North Buxton in Ontario, which you can still visit today: http://www.buxtonmuseum.com/

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I’m a fifth grade teacher and I read A LOT of upper elementary/middle school literature. This one is truly one of the best!

Katie

These authors have already been mentions but I love them so…..Janet Lunn wrote ‘The Root Cellar’ – historical fiction about Canadians taking part in the American civil war. ‘Shadow in Hawthorne Bay’ – teenage girl emigrates from Ireland to Canada. Beatrice Hunter wrote the Booky series about growing up in Toronto during the depression. Kit Pearson wrote ‘The Guests of War’ trilogy about English children staying with a foster family during WWII. I love Jean Little’s books – ‘From Anna’ is about a German girls experiences in Canada also during WWII. Maybe not exactly the right age groups and they are all from a girls point of view but they are very good Canadian authors!

Elsa

Underground to Canada by Barbara Smucker, is a great read for both US and Cdn history.